Bruce Fink

Born in Blackberry, Illinois, on December 22, 1861, he studied at the University of Illinois and later at Harvard before building a career in botany and lichenology. He taught at Upper Iowa University and Grinnell College, then in 1906 became the first professor of botany at Miami University, where he remained until his death on July 10, 1927.

His research centered on lichens, though he also wrote about fungi, especially ascomycetes. Contemporary accounts credit him with more than 100 scientific papers, reviews, notes, and monographs, and describe him as one of the leading American specialists in his field. His published work includes The Lichens of Minnesota, and he was also working on a broader manual of the lichens of the United States.

He was remembered not only for scholarship but also for teaching. Colleagues wrote that many students were drawn into advanced botanical study through his classes, and Miami University still traces the formal beginnings of its herbarium to his appointment.